GUS POYET is puzzled by the number of errors costing Sunderland after a further two were responsible for Sunderland’s latest miserable afternoon in the Premier League.

A first half howler from Wes Brown, when he gifted possession to Alexis Sanchez to score with a miss-hit back pass on half way, helped Arsenal to edge in front inside half an hour at the Stadium of Light.

And then, after a toothless display in an attacking sense against the Gunners, Sanchez added a second in injury-time when he could not believe his luck in the six-yard box in front of the South Stand.

The Chilean forward pounced to finish after Vito Mannone made a complete mess of a silly back pass from Will Buckley which put him the goalkeeper in all sorts of trouble in a busy penalty area.

Those two blunders arrived just a week after the 8-0 battering at Southampton, where mistakes were the order of the day and Poyet was left wondering what can be done to eradicate the errors.

“It is difficult to analyse the game because their commitment, reaction and desire, organisation, compared to last week, was there,” said Poyet.

“We forgot to leave in the dressing room the mistakes. I don’t know if it’s the time, tension, or what you would call it, but it’s the mistakes.

“There is a little bit of anger in there, you know the team was there and they responded, they worked hard for the result, and then two actions cost us, we made two in the same game, and that is after last weekend.”

Sunderland, who have only won one of their opening nine league fixtures, do not play again until Monday, November 3, so there is every chance that they will be occupants of a relegation spot before the trip to Crystal Palace.

Poyet said: “I don’t think there is anything to hide. There is a long week, we play Monday week, and this is part of the job.

“It’s clear we are all getting paid to win games. It is time to go and win. It doesn’t matter who against. Arsenal had more of the ball, but we take those mistakes away and ...

“It’s more about character than anything else, they have to be brave. We need the right tension. I wouldn’t like to accept the way we lost this game but I have to. Can I train that, I don’t think so. I don’t think those actions are in training. Those are individual mistakes.”

Sunderland will be assessing the severity of the injury sustained by Steven Fletcher in the next 48 hours. The Scotland international was forced off with a foot problem just four minutes in to the second half against Arsenal.